Psychology
Initial course / subject summary
First 4-5 lessons
In this presentation
•
•
•
•
Don’t be quiet – ask if needed
Take notes in your own format
Work quickly
Answer if asked directly; volunteer answers if
the question is open
• Challenge & criticise one another – reasonably
• Be focused on the material at all times
Will we always work like this?
Definition
• Ψ is the science of
– Mind
– Brain
– Behaviour
• What’s the difference?
• Take notes from the discussion
Sciences and social sciences
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Particles
Atoms
Molecules
Cells
Organisms
People
Groups
Societies
Which end is which?
Where does Ψ go?
Where other subjects?
What is Ψ adjacent to?
Depth versus breadth
• Particle physics: very deep, very narrow
• Sociology: very broad, very shallow
Ψ ranges inbetween.
Biological end = a SCIENCE.
Social end = a SOCIAL SCIENCE.
(Separately, there is a therapeutic offshoot. This is
medical but very general, off the edge of SocSci.)
The adjacent subjects
• Biology
• Ψ:
– Physiology, Neuropsychology
– (Behavioural) Ψ
– (Cognitive / Social) Ψ
• Sociology, Politics
From this flow of topics, can you guess what
each area of Ψ focuses on?
AQA Course (AS)
•
•
•
•
Two units
Two fixed exams
No coursework
5 topics + “Research methods”
• Sit Unit 1 in January – NB you can’t fall behind
and “catch up later” = you will FAIL if you try
Unit 1
• Cognitive Ψ (topic) – mind /memory processes
• Developmental Ψ (topic) – development of
children
• Research methods (techniques, not topic) – how
studies in Ψ work / measure / prove outcomes
Why do we need to study RM separately?
Unit 2
• Biological Ψ (topic) – how bodily functions
affect behaviour
• Social Ψ (topic) – interactions in behaviour
between people
• Individual differences (topic) – identifying the
range of human behaviour
Which of the 5 topics interests you most? Why?
Top 5 reasons not to choose Ψ
• “I would like to read people’s minds.”
• “I want to fix my own issues. Argh.”
• “I want to help those with mental illness.”
• “I want to be a therapist and tell everyone it’s
their mother’s fault.”
• “I suck at everything else. This must be easier.”
Good reasons to choose Ψ
• Very high employment rate for graduates
• Good science complement for arts / humanities;
good social science for sciences
• “In the middle” study = can go in any direction
• Modern subject so more tied in to modern life
• More people choose it for the wrong reasons –
Why is this good, if you’re not one of them?
So why did you choose it?
Year overview
•
•
•
•
•
Sept – Nov: Unit 1
Dec: prep for Unit 1 exam
Jan: Unit 1 analysis
Feb – Apr: Unit 2
May: prep for Unit 2 exam.
The exam dates vary so we have to accommodate
that. You may be starting Unit 2 before the Unit 1
exam. The Unit 2 exam may be in May.
Timings
• 12 weeks per unit (3 topics per unit)
• = 4 weeks per topic (c 48 textbook pages)
– 2 weeks on theory, 1 week on “in everyday life”
– 1 week revise-test-review
• but we also need practical time!
i.e. about 30 pages of the textbook / week
= realistically, 4 double pages a lesson.
Different forms of notes
You will need separate styles of notes for all of:
• general notes (but NB all teacher material online)
• specific studies (APFC)
• tabulated differences in theories
• our own experiments (class or home study)
• revision summaries
The distinction must be clear at a glance to the
teacher. You can file by topic or type.
APFC?
Theoretical
(“what they THOUGHT”)
Practical
(“what they DID”)
Experimenter creates:
Aims
Procedures
Participant creates:
Conclusions
Findings
Aims: I decide what I’m trying to find out about
Procedures: I decide a way to investigate it, and run the experiment / observation
Findings: what happens as a result of the experiment / what data is observed
Conclusions: what does this prove about my original question / idea?
Like in any science, you must have
• a testable HYPOTHESIS
• a CONTROL group
Key to APFC notes / memorising
•
•
•
•
Make the APFC sections distinct and clear
Title the page “Author (Date) / Topic”
A / C = 2 lines will usually do
P / F = vary, but can be much longer; in many
studies, one is very simple
• It often helps to write PF first, then C, then A
• Date isn’t necessary but will probably impress
• MUST include criticisms / counter-crits
• References section at back lists locations
Some example aims
• To prove short-term memory has limited capacity
• To prove long-term memory has unlimited
duration
• To prove children understand other people’s
feelings
• To test people’s reactions to provocation
• To research the range of attitudes to bulimia
• To measure the effect of stress hormones on
feelings of self-esteem
• etc
Try your own APFC
In groups, decide a thing you’d like to find out
about.
• Write an AIM to investigate.
How will you find out about / prove this so that
others believed you?
• Write PROCEDURES for an expt.
This is very difficult and will take time and repeated
effort and refinement. Be precise. Stick with it.
Test your procedures
• With your AIM, your teacher will either have
– approved it
– told you to change it
– let you continue but said there will be problems!
• Now defend your PROCEDURES to class
– another group will choose which 2 speak for you
– class: point out failures in their design
– your other members can redesign as you go
Lessons from designing expts
• Refining an AIM is difficult; must be PRECISE
• Procedures are unbelievably COMPLEX!
• Criticism should be easy... RANGE of criticism
requires more imagination and intelligence
• Group design is necessary to spot fault
• Seek to criticism real studies’ designs
• Design = poor  expt = worthless
Methodological / ethical
Methodological problems = “did the study actually
do what it says it did?” (we just did this)
Ethical problems = “should the study have been
done this way?” (NB subjects / participants)
M probs are always present.
E probs are mostly historical – we’re much more
limited now than we used to be.
What would be unacceptable in a Ψ experiment?
Technical glossaries
• Note bold items in the Index
• Make your own “Key words” boxes in notes as
you go – they must stand out at a glance
• Definitions CANNOT be inexact – they must be
spot-on (or it’s grade E for you)
Review
What is Psychology?
Is it a science?
What are the areas of study?
Where will it take you in life?
What is APFC?
Will our study include practical?
What will my notes include?
What are ethics?
Overview-of-Ψ exercises
• Remember: mind, brain and behaviour
• Read the following real-world problems
• Seek to explain each in terms of only TWO of the
above words
• You will work alone at first, trying a full written
answer (min ½ page of A4 each problem)
• Share ideas in groups; produce joint mindmap
• Now improve your full written answer
“A young man is depressed. One professional
advises he takes a low dosage of a medication –
called an SSRI – and says this alone will make him
happier.
Another professional advises he keeps a diary of his
feelings, reviews them at meetings with the
professional.
Both are recognised treatments.
What idea underlies the methods of treatment?”
“A high jumper facing a challenge tries to talk
herself up to it.
She has never beaten this competitor, and would
need to beat her personal best to do so this
time. She stands at the start of the runway
literally talking to herself, aloud.
Why is she doing this? What is going on?”
“You remember the moment you nearly died in a car
crash when you were younger. A car hit your
parents’ car at speed. You have a ‘flashbulb
memory’ of seeing it coming in the last second
through the side window.
More happily, you also vividly remember your fifth
birthday.
Yet you can’t remember which day you have your PE
kit, or when homework is due. What is going on
with your memory?”
“A young person has an eating disorder.
They know their BMI says they’re underweight,
and they know others are concerned. They
avoid talking about it.
They still feel they themselves are fat. They avoid
eating wherever possible.
Is this a mind, brain or behaviour problem?”
Initial test
All that we’ve talked about relates to the syllabus
but is not directly from any unit.
The aim has been to give you an overview of Ψ.
You’ll be asked to review the experience.
Now, in pairs, go back over your notes. You’ll be
tested on your update to determine your
suitability for the course.
Independent learning task (Pair)
Create a brochure+display combo detailing as fully
as possible the nature of the subject for younger
students.
Use this PP as a prompt, and research further. Bluff
to sound more knowledgeable than you are – but
outright wrong = FAIL.
Use clear sections. Create effective, attractive
presentation for wall display. COMPETE. WIN.